tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post3564395197362558622..comments2015-03-31T15:07:50.093-04:00Comments on In From the Cold: Not Ready for the E-RingNate Halenoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-24721469639035108782013-02-03T10:17:05.747-05:002013-02-03T10:17:05.747-05:00Hagel is merely the poster child for an Administra...Hagel is merely the poster child for an Administration that has decided not to approach foreign policy with consistent,effective creative involvement to support US interests. Why? Isolationism prevents potential distractions from their domestic agenda and their supporting assessment that the US simply doesn&#39;t need to lead. It&#39;s that simple, personified by Hagel&#39;s hearing performance. <br /><br />But foreign developments will not ignore the US, and kicking the can has consequences:<br />On Iran&#39;s nuclear program, how&#39;s that working out?<br />On Syria how&#39;s that working out? With apparently no Russian cooperation ever established and little motivation to intervene, here we are.<br />And BTW on Russia, where&#39;s that reset button again?<br />And on DPRK, it seems they are content now to iron out their ICBM issues soon enough.<br />And on AQ, didn&#39;t we kill that guy and aren&#39;t they now on the run?<br />So with a brilliant Hagel/Kerry team as backup (assuming Hagel is confirmed). . .Well, it should be interesting.Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15390468013273738737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-74131456950429020662013-02-03T03:42:54.135-05:002013-02-03T03:42:54.135-05:00Spook, I followed you, but I don&#39;t think you m...Spook, I followed you, but I don&#39;t think you made the case for your last, most damning statements. Granted that Hagel seemed unprepared, and side-stepped opportunities to begin raising important, long-term questions. Consider the senators: <br /><br />As Rosie Gray and Andrew Kaczynski of Buzzfeed noted, at yesterday&#39;s hearing on Chuck Hagel Israel was mentioned 166 times, and Iran (a problem closely linked to Israel) 144 times. Afghanistan was mentioned only 20 times, and the problem of suicides of U.S. troops only twice. <br /><br />And consider the perception of the Guardian reporter: &quot;There were basically three categories of questions asked of Hagel:<br />• &quot;Is Israel a great country, or is it the greatest? And if it&#39;s the former, can you explain your lack of support for America&#39;s most important ally?&quot;<br />• &quot;Why don&#39;t you think Iran is crazy, unbalanced and a military competitor of the United States, as I do?&quot;<br />• &quot;Let me tell you more about the vital national security rule played by the weapons system or military base located in my home state.&quot; 6gTexanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04620324865249561937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-25788285891723356562013-02-02T08:57:48.402-05:002013-02-02T08:57:48.402-05:00NFO +1NFO +1Ed Bonderenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724552853113809036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-1088094340958302092013-02-01T20:04:08.841-05:002013-02-01T20:04:08.841-05:00Kerry is a traitor... And Hagel is an idiot... It ...Kerry is a traitor... And Hagel is an idiot... It just gets better and better... sighOld NFOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-712714260890791102013-02-01T18:22:02.365-05:002013-02-01T18:22:02.365-05:00“We do have a position on containment, and that is...“We do have a position on containment, and that is we do not favor containment,” Levin said. “I just wanted to clarify the clarify.”<br />The immortal Yogi Berra had these guys pegged, &quot;We might be lost, but we&#39;re making good time!&quot;.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642228725661059539noreply@blogger.com